Russian Visa Requirements

Just when you thought the Russian visa application process couldn’t get any dafter, they go and stick another requirement on top of the myriad others.

Since I started working in Russia in September 2006, the immigration department has added to their original requirements an apostled, notarised copy of my degree certificate, a completed, signed contract of employment (before I can get a work visa!), a medical assessment which must be no older than 30 days (chest x-rays must be no older than 3 months; previously it was 6 months but the new machine in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk’s city diagnostic centre must be paid for somehow), and an insistence that most nationalities must return to their home country to apply. As a Brit I am fortunate that I can apply in Kuala Lumpar, because I can no longer go to Tokyo or Seoul as I did before. Why one Russian embassy is able to process a work visa application whereby another cannot cannot be fathomed. Americans and Australians have to return home, unless they can prove permanent residency elsewhere.

Then at the beginning of this year they decided that all applications had to come with a notarised translation of every page of your passport, including all visas and stamps therein. I have a 48-page passport with stamps and visas from Kuwait, Oman, UAE, Qatar, Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, Philippines, Cambodia, Vietnam, Korea, Japan, Kazakhstan, and Azerbaijan. Some poor soul has to translate this lot at horrendous cost to my employer, then take the translation to a notary public.

Somebody probably thinks that employing people to do this sort of stuff is good for the economy. Or they think that during this time of global economic crisis Russia has so much inward investment that they ought to make it more expensive.

5 Responses to Russian Visa Requirements

Ahhhh, memories! Gosh, hard to believe it was a year ago we were going through all of that. Fortunately for us, we were able to prove residency in Qatar, so my husband was able to apply at the American embassy there. Could you imagine a 14 hour flight to Washington DC just to go to the Russian embassy???? Ugh. At least they lightened up on the renewal process….we can do that here in Sakhalin. Good luck to you…and fyi we used apostilla.com to do his diploma…quick and easy…

This is great news! Russia and Bolivia ease visa-regime in addition to such fantastic coutries like Venezuela, Vietnam and Turkey! Is it some sort of “reaction” to Eastern Partnership or may be you guys hide someting behind your chests?
Condoms with cocaine, eh? :)))))